Gooch hails 'maturing' Root as new Cook in the making

July 23, 2013 10:24 IST

Former England captain Graham Gooch has backed upcoming batting star Joe Root, saying that he is rapidly maturing into being more like England skipper Alastair Cook.

According to the Mirror, Gooch, who is the current batting coach and mentor to both players, has helped oversee Cook's career right from the beginning, and by working closely with Root in India, he has played a valuable role in his improvement in the last six months.

With Root completing his first Ashes century, Gooch said that there are similarities between the two openers, adding that both of them are mature for their age, with Cook having a similar mentality when he was Root's age.

Stating that Cook knew exactly how he could score runs, Gooch further said that Root is also turning more like his captain and has a confidence about him, adding that Australia put their players on their boundary to stop Root from making a double century at Lord's.

Impressed by Root's work ethic along with his maturity and stroke play, Gooch also said that Root is not selfish, like Cook, which has set both of them apart from their peers, adding that Root was a ready and a willing participant in exhausting exercises as well as technique drills, which were set to help him come game time.

According to Gooch, unlike many players, Root constantly seeks advice and information from his mentors and coaches, adding that he is not surprised by the way in which Root is moving forward with his skill levels given his discipline and the way he works at his game.

However, Gooch cautioned Root, often tipped as a future England captain, against being over confident, saying that a good performance in a single innings does not make a player a regular for a long period of time.